Planning a nursery is one of the most enjoyable activities for expectant parents preparing for their new arrival. Getting everything just right is important and organising the room highlights the need for sensible but aesthetic storage. A compactum or nappy changing station is a minimum furniture requirement, as well as a cot, crib or more than one of either if needed! Many items need to be stored for easy access when caring for the baby, while photo frames, toys and other sentimental items will need to be displayed by proud parents for visiting friends and family. For our first set of twins we had three single shelves in the room, but we felt we needed more shelf space above the compactum. To meet these requirements, we designed this stylish and practical nursery shelf for our second set of twins.
Knowing what type of storage and display space we needed the second time around was very beneficial in putting together some initial drawings, which we refined based on our interior design. The width is the same as the compactum, as it is intended to go above it, and the height is in proportion to the available wall space. The eight internal square compartments are extremely useful and well sized, while the top shelf provides a wider space that can display taller items. We also added decorative hooks to the lower shelf, which provided quick hanging space when needed. The solid backing ensures a very sturdy construction and the joints are all dados without any metal fasteners. A routered edging on the side pieces of the shelf completed the stylish finish.
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME
The top and bottom front corners of the nursery shelf feature a quarter-circle cutout, which is an aesthetic part of the design. To achieve this I marked the wood with a suitable sized circle and then used a jigsaw to make the cut. A more accurate method would have been to use a hole saw of the required diameter mounted in a drill press. A hole saw or hole cutter is a blade in the shape of a ring which has a pilot drill bit at the centre. To make this cut, the side of the shelf is mounted and clamped in place and the quarter-circle is drilled out. Because the teeth of the hole saw are spinning around a fixed centre, the accuracy of the quarter-circle would have been far superior.
You can build this nursery shelf to fit your space; simply adjust the overall dimensions but ensure the interior box compartments remain square. For clarity of shelf and joint dimensions, the illustration is shown without the backing board.
| PART | QUANTITY | THICKNESS | WIDTH | LENGTH | |
| A | Back board | 1 | 16mm | 660mm | 1000mm |
| B | Sides | 2 | 16mm | 200mm | 660mm |
| C | Partitions | 6 | 16mm | 200mm | 238mm |
| D | Shelves | 3 | 16mm | 200mm | 976mm |
| The back board (A) is shown as one piece in the cutting list and could be purchased in this size, if preferred. When I constructed the project, however, I used three narrower boards (220mm wide) joined together, and the construction is provided in steps 1 and 2. | |||||
Project information
| Overall dimensions | 992mm long x 216mm wide x 660mm high |
| Number of parts | 12 |
| Special equipment | Router, jigsaw |
| Techniques | Through dado joint (see page 22), decorative edging (see page 19) |
| Difficulty | Medium |
| Duration | 8 hours |
Family fun factor
MAKE THE BACK OF THE NURSERY SHELF
1 Rest the three backing boards (A x 3) on the rails of the sash clamps, as shown in the photograph. Position the end slide with its holding peg so that the head slide will compress all boards against their edges once glued and tightened.
TIP: Use pieces of scrap wood between the faces of the clamps and the edges of the boards to prevent damaging the wood when tightening up.
2 Glue along the adjoining edges and tighten the sash clamps. Sufficient pressure should be applied so that the glue is squeezed out along the joints. Use a wet cloth to wipe away excess glue.
TIP: Just before the final tightening, use a rubber mallet to tap the edges at the ends until they are aligned.
MARK THE DADOS AND CUT THE QUARTER-CIRCLES
3 Mark the positions of all 18 grooves on the shelves and sides for the through dado joints.
TIP: When marking, make sure you measure from both ends of the boards and on both long edges to achieve an average which you must then true up by using the accurate groove width. This will account for any imperfections in the cutting to ensure the overall shelf dimensions remain square and regular.
4 Make the quarter-circle cutouts in the front top and bottom corners of the sides (B). I used a paint tin to mark the quarter-circle but you can use anything with the correct diameter. Clamp the board to your work surface with a quick grip clamp and use a jigsaw to cut the quarter-circle as accurately as possible. As you will router along this edge, any imperfections in the cut will be magnified so ensure that you work accurately.
5 Use a half-round file to smooth the edges of the quarter-circle, as shown. As indicated in What Would I Do Differently Next Time (see page 52), this quarter-circle would be more accurate if cut with the correct diameter hole saw.
CUT THE DADOS IN THE SHELVES AND TEST ASSEMBLE
6 Router all the dados with a straight router bit. Clamp a straight edge, such as a builder’s level, across the work piece to guide the router while cutting the dado groove across the grain of the wood. Set the router to a 4mm depth for all grooves and be sure to cut consistently and accurately through each groove.
7 It is important to position the straight edge very accurately prior to cutting the dado. Most routers also come with an adjustable edge guide, but this will only work for grooves that run alongside a parallel edge. In the picture you will see how the final groove is just wide of the 16mm markings, which is based on the width of the wood. Use a 17mm diameter straight router bit to allow 1mm extra clearance for imperfections in the ends of the boards.
8The top, bottom and middle shelves (C x 3) showing the completed dados into which the top and bottom edges of the partitions (D x 6) will be inserted during the assembly.
9 The left and right sides of the nursery shelf show the completed dados into which the left and right sides of the shelves (C x 3) will be inserted during assembly. The photograph also shows the decorative quarter-circles cut out from the four front corners.
10 Position all components as a mock assembly to check that all edges fit into their corresponding dados. Also ensure that there are no knots or chips in the front corners or edges. Some repositioning may be required, particularly of the middle shelf (D) which has grooves on both sides for the through dado joints to attach shelf partitions above and below.
TIP: Should you need to re-assemble at a later stage, mark the parts at the joints to show which edges correspond to which grooves.
CONSTRUCT THE FINAL ASSEMBLY
11 Glue the edges of the top, middle and bottom shelves (D x 3) and insert into the dados in the sides (B x 2). Hold in place with sash clamps and use a try square to test for right angles before finally tightening up. Make sure the grooves for the through dado joints face inwards for the top and bottom shelves (D x 2).
12 The vertical partitions (C x 6) will be inserted into the dados between the corresponding shelves (D x 3), as shown. It is a far more accurate method of making compartmentalised furniture than with right-angle brackets because the dado straightens the edge of the vertical partition (C) in exactly the position required. Although 1mm clearance was allowed for when using a router to cut the dados, a rubber mallet may be required to tap the partitions into place.
13 Glue and insert the top and bottom vertical partitions (C x 2) in the middle of the shelf and then glue and install the left and right partitions (C x 4).
TIP: As demonstrated in the picture, before gluing each set of partitions, check the dimensions along the top, bottom and middle shelves and use an electric planer to plane down the edges of the vertical pieces until accurate.
FINISH AND ADD THE BACKING BOARD
14Once all the joints are dry, sand down the assembled shelf and use wood filler for any gaps in the joints or to fill knots and imperfections in the surface of the wood. Make sure the back edges of the assembled shelf are straight in preparation for affixing the back (A).
15 Plane and sand the back board (A) with an electric planer and belt sander respectively. Glue along the back edges of the nursery shelf and clamp the final assembly in place onto the front of the back board. Ensure you apply equal pressure to minimise any gaps between the back edges of the shelf and the back board (A). Fill in gaps with wood filler as needed. Allow sufficient time for the glue to dry, then sand down the left and right outside edges of the back board (A) to ensure a smooth surface at the joint with the shelf sides (B x 2).
ROUTER THE OUTSIDE EDGES OF THE SIDES
16 Use a router to make the decorative edging along the sides (B x 2) of the nursery shelf, including the quarter-circle cutout, as shown.
TIP: This is done only after fastening the backing board onto the shelf because the four corners of the backing board form part of this edging detail in the final assembly.
SAND, PAINT AND INSTALL
17 Use a random orbital sander to sand down all surfaces, edges and corners to ensure a smooth final surface for varnishing or painting. Prime and paint with a colour of your choice.
TIP: If using a random orbital sander, make sure it is small enough to fit inside each shelf compartment, as shown.
18 Below the bottom shelf, measure and drill at intervals through the back of the nursery shelf (A) to create holes for the decorative hooks. Countersink the back of these holes so that the nut and bolt for the decorative hook does not protrude beyond the surface of the back (A) of the nursery shelf.
19 Mount hooks on the back of the nursery shelf so that the screws go into the back of the top shelf (D). Use a Dremel to remove sufficient wood behind the hook, as shown in the photograph. Install corresponding wall plugs and hang the nursery shelf safely in position.
